Racks for carrying ladders on vehicles suffer from various drawbacks and disadvantages. The pick-up truck ladder rack disclosed in the publication of Cross Tread Industries, Inc., includes a fixed horizontal member which carries the ladder between two vertical uprights in a single, fixed, horizontal position above the pick-up truck. It is generally difficult to load and unload ladders or other elongated cargo to and from the raised horizontal position of such ladder racks. In particular, before the ladder can be removed, it must be lifted vertically to an even higher position to clear the uprights on either side of the horizontal member carrying the ladder. After such vertical lifting, the ladder must be displaced laterally from its position over the truck to clear the ladder rack. The loading of ladders onto the horizontal members of such racks presents the same obstacles in reverse order. In some situations, it is necessary for the individual seeking to load or unload ladders from these racks to climb onto or into the truck which can be dangerous as well as impractical.
The ladder rack model 1475-B of Knaack Manufacturing Company includes two frame members, each having a surface for carrying the ladders fixed in an inclined position relative to the chassis of the vehicle to which the rack is mounted. Ladders in these racks are carried in a position tilting toward the side of the pick-up truck. Among the disadvantages of such a design is that generally only one or perhaps two ladders can be carried in such an inclined position. Bulky ladders or other elongated cargo, as well as multiple ladders, cannot generally be transported in the inclined position of these racks without risking that they will slip or otherwise be dislodged from the downwardly inclined carrying surfaces of the rack.
Other vehicle racks for carrying ladders generally include unnecessarily complex mechanisms intended to facilitate loading and unloading of the ladders or other elongated articles carried on such racks. Such racks are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,013,681 to Garnett, U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,912 to Levi, U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,791 to Henriquez, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,150 to Praz. The numerous structural members used in these vehicular racks make them costly and heavy. In addition, the structure disclosed in the Garnett reference does not lend itself to easy installation or de-installation on a vehicle. The structures of Levi, Henriquez and Praz are ill-suited for use in the beds of pick-up trucks.
In the above and other references of the current art, the structurally complex mechanisms temporarily lower ladders or other elongated cargo from a single storage and transportation position located generally out to the side of the vehicle for loading and unloading. These racks are not capable of safely or effectively transporting ladders in the lowered position.
It would thus be desirable for a vehicle rack for transporting ladders to be easily installed in or removed from a vehicle. It would be equally desirable for such rack to be capable of carrying not only a single ladder or piece of elongated cargo, but also multiple ladders or other bulky elongated items. Further, there is a need for the vehicle rack to provide relatively convenient access to the cargo without complex, costly, or needlessly heavy structural elements. There is a need, as well, for the ladder rack to be capable of transporting the cargo in an easily accessible position so that the user does not suffer the inconvenience of having to activate structural mechanisms on the rack before or after transportation of the cargo.